


A Thousand Apologies is Not Enough

by asofthesea



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe, WandaVision (TV)
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Episode: s01e05 On a Very Special Episode..., Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kinda, One Shot, Parent Carol Danvers, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Captain Marvel (2019), Season/Series 01, working through our issues - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:33:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29235354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asofthesea/pseuds/asofthesea
Summary: “There is a force approaching Westview at a speed we can barely detect, sir,” one of the men monitoring the computers says to Director Haywood.Monica looks at his screen to see a blip approaching them quickly, and she runs outside along with everybody else to get prepared for a possible threat or intrusion into the bubble. They do not need Wanda coming back angry right now when they have no way to handle her.When they are outside their camp, Monica looks to the sky and sees what most would assume is a shooting star or a comet, but she recognizes it immediately. She used to dream of seeing this in the sky again after she left, but she hasn’t until now.Carol lands hard and swift in the middle of all of the agents, looking around for a moment and asking, “What’s going on here?”Carol and Monica finally reunite. Set after episode 5 of WandaVision.
Relationships: Carol Danvers & Monica Rambeau
Comments: 12
Kudos: 183





	A Thousand Apologies is Not Enough

**Author's Note:**

> I just watched all of WandaVision and boy oh boy! I had to write something about my favorite MCU family! Right when I thought I was out, they pull me right back in!

“Why would she recast Pietro?” Jimmy asks.

Darcy shrugs, “Who knows? Maybe this is someone who was already inside the bubble and she’s altering them to act like her brother.”

Monica shakes her head, “That doesn’t make sense. If she wanted her brother back, she would at least make it look like _her_ brother. This may be the same character, but it isn’t the same person. Something’s not adding up.”

They all stare at the screen as Pietro and Wanda hug, becoming reacquainted with each other. Besides the obvious face-change, nothing seems too off about Pietro. Although, everything about the whole situation is a little _off_.

Monica lets out a deep breath, “We need to continue monitoring the situation until we learn more.”

“Agreed,” Darcy says, sipping her coffee, “I love plot twists. Consider me glued to this tv.”

Jimmy sits down next to Darcy and Monica leans on the table beside her as they continue to watch the reunion play out. Vision seems confused about the whole situation, but Pietro is taking it mostly in stride. Wanda is happy but shocked at Pietro’s return, which makes Monica wonder if there is someone else who may have a hand in this. When she was in Westview it became clear to her that Wanda understood her powers and her manipulation of everybody. Her coming outside of her tv reality only confirmed it. Either Wanda is trying to be convincing to Vision and the tv, or she was truly surprised.

Before Monica can think about it more, there is an alarm buzzing.

“There is a force approaching Westview at a speed we can barely detect, sir,” one of the men monitoring the computers says to Director Haywood.

Monica looks at his screen to see a blip approaching them quickly, and she runs outside along with everybody else to get prepared for a possible threat or intrusion into the bubble. They do not need Wanda coming back angry right now when they have no way to handle her.

When they are outside their camp, Monica looks to the sky and sees what most would assume is a shooting star or a comet, but she recognizes it immediately. She used to dream of seeing this in the sky again after she left, but she hasn’t until now.

Carol lands hard and swift in the middle of all of the agents, looking around for a moment and asking, “What’s going on here?”

Director Hayward steps forward and says, “Not to worry, miss, we’ve got the situation under control.”

Carol huffs a short laugh, “Do you? I hear otherwise.” She looks around at everybody until her eyes eventually settle on Monica. Again, she asks, “What’s going on here?”

Monica swallows the words in her throat, not quite trusting her first words to Carol to be strong in front of her colleagues. After a moment, she regains her composure and says, “We’re handling it here, thank you.”

The moment between them seems to last forever, with so many expressions on Carol’s face that Monica doesn’t have the time to analyze all of them.

“Excuse me, but if she comes out again, we could use someone like you on our side,” Darcy says, “No way we are handling this so well that we are going to turn down Captain Marvel’s help.”

There is a clear tension in the air between herself, Carol, and Director Haywood, but eventually, Haywood breaks first and says, “Okay, let me show you our operation, Captain.”

Everybody begins to filter back into their designated spots, and Carol follows Haywood inside the tent. Monica stays put, unable to move after coming face to face with Carol after all these years. Did her pseudo-aunt even recognize her? It’s been so long and she’s grown so much.

“Are you okay?” Jimmy asks.

Monica snaps back to herself and realizes they are the only two still outside beside the regular stationed men. She nods, “Just need a moment, I’ll be inside soon to analyze the tapes.”

It’s a clear dismissal, and Jimmy only hesitates for a handful of seconds before walking back into the tent. Monica takes a few steadying breaths and tries to get a hold of her emotions. Outer space seems easier than this. Why did her mother make that stupid rule? She’s stuck dealing with all these complicated Earth problems and her only reprieve had been that she wouldn’t even have to think about Carol, and now she’s _here_.

The entrance to the tent opens again and Monica’s gaze snaps to it, seeing Carol exiting and heading straight for her. Monica wants to run or hide, but she knows she can’t do either. She holds her ground and keeps her gaze locked on Carol, unwilling to show weakness to a woman she had once thought of as her mother.

“Monica,” Carol says and a smile even ghosts her face, “I am so happy to see you again.”

“Where have you been?” The question leaves Monica’s mouth before her brain has even processed it. She demands to know.

“I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of the big battle and everybody returning, I’ve been meaning to-”

Carol’s explanation is cut off by Monica, “I don’t mean the last three weeks, Carol, I mean the last 25 years! Where have you been? She needed you!”

Carol’s expression falls, “There have been many crises in many worlds that I’ve been attending to since we last saw each other. Believe me, I should have been there more.”

“She was dying! I tried to reach out to you and you never came! She never said it, but I know that she longed to see you again before she died, and you couldn’t show up!” Monica shouts.

The stony silence from Carol as Monica yells at her is almost worse than her explaining herself. She wants to hear more excuses she can refute because her mom was dying and Carol couldn’t show up. They were family and that should’ve been more important than anything, but it wasn’t.

When it becomes apparent that Monica has nothing more to say at the moment, Carol takes a deep breath before saying, “You’re right. I should have been there for both of you. A thousand apologies would never make up for how I disregarded you two. My memory may still be a little hazy about some things, but I know that we were-” Carol stops for a moment before correcting herself, “-are family, and I should have been there.”

Monica remains silent, so Carol continues, “When the snap happened I came to Earth. I didn’t even stop to check on you two. I thought we could fix everything right away and I wouldn’t have to feel the pain of possibly losing either of you. Especially after I had distanced myself from you, I didn’t want either of you to be gone before we ever truly reconnected. I wasn’t ready to feel that loss. I was so sure once we had a lock on Thanos that we would reverse it and everything would be okay. I was so ready for my second chance with my family.

“Then we failed. We couldn’t undo it and I had to know where you two were. I hoped against all else that you had both been spared, that luck had somehow struck. When I found Maria, she wasn't doing good. She barely managed to tell me that you were gone, she was so grief-stricken. She kept demanding that I bring you back, and I had to keep telling her that I couldn’t. It broke both of us to have you gone.”

Carol pauses into her story and finally breaks eye contact with Monica, looking far away into the distance, a glimmer in her eyes. Monica used to be able to read Carol’s every expression. Carol was her hero, long before she got any powers. After all this time apart, she can’t read Carol like she used to, and doesn’t understand what is going on in her head until she vocalizes it.

“After we figured out we couldn’t reverse it, I stayed with Maria. You left a hole so big it couldn’t be filled, but it felt a little better with each other. Not good, but at least tolerable. Her condition eventually got worse, and she made me promise that I’d never stop fighting to get you back and that I’d look after you once I did. After the battle, I rushed to the hospital to find you, but I couldn’t. Things finally settled enough a few days ago, so I tracked you here,” Carol says, seemingly finished with her story.

“Well thanks and all, but I can look after myself just fine, thank you,” Monica says, turning away from Carol.

Carol walks around to meet Monica’s eyes again, “I know you can take care of yourself just fine. You’ve grown up to be a strong, capable woman just like your mother. Even though it’s been years, I know you just lost the most important person in your life, so I’m staying here with you.”

They have another long moment of eye contact, and Monica so badly wants to run into Carol’s arms. She wants to be held and told that everything’s okay, but she’s not a kid anymore, and Carol hasn’t been her mom for a long time.

Monica says, “Okay, fine,” because that’s the most she can give. She hasn’t forgiven Carol for abandoning them, but she isn’t going to turn her away. Even though she doesn’t want to admit it, it finally feels like she can breathe again with Carol near.

Carol nods in understanding and asks, “What do you want me to do, Lieutenant Trouble?”

“It’s Captain Trouble, now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! I would appreciate it very much! I love writing one shots and if I get more inspiration will do more, but we'll have to see.


End file.
